Selena Pov

The shrill ring of my desk phone shattered the peaceful silence of my morning. I'd been enjoying a rare moment of calm, no emergencies, no humiliating tasks, just me and a spreadsheet that actually made sense.

"Ms. Carter." Caleb's voice came through the line, smooth and commanding.

"My office. Now. Bring the Henderson account file."

"Of course, Mr. Theller. Right away," I kept my voice professionally sweet, though what I really wanted to say was something along the lines of Please and thank you wouldn't kill you.

I gathered the thick file from my cabinet and made my way to his office, mentally preparing myself for whatever fresh hell awaited me today. Yesterday's near-fainting incident had earned me exactly zero sympathy, he'd simply sent me an email at seven this morning with today's task list, as if nothing had happened.

"Come in," his voice called when I knocked, that husky tone that seemed to resonate in my chest despite my best efforts to remain unaffected.

I pushed open the door and found him behind his massive mahogany desk, focused intently on his computer screen. Morning sunlight streamed through the floor-to-ceiling windows, illuminating him like some kind of corporate angel.

An angel with a devil's temperament.

"The Henderson file," I placed it carefully on his desk.

He reached for it without looking up, those long fingers flipping through pages with practiced efficiency. His brow furrowed slightly as he read, and I found myself noticing the way the light caught in his dark hair, the sharp line of his jaw, the-

Stop it, Selena.

"Black coffee. No sugar," he said absently, still not looking at me.

"I'm sorry?"

"Coffee. Black. Now, please."

The 'please' was clearly an afterthought, tacked on with all the sincerity of a politician's promise. Heat crept up my neck, not from attraction this time, but from pure indignation.

Did he even see me as a person, or just another piece of office equipment to order around?

"Of course," I turned on my heel and walked out, keeping my spine straight and my irritation carefully hidden.

In the small kitchenette down the hall, I prepared his coffee with perhaps more force than necessary, slamming the mug down on the counter and watching the dark liquid slosh dangerously close to the rim.

Black coffee for the black-hearted boss.

I thought darkly, measuring out the grounds.

Maybe I should add salt instead of sugar. Or better yet, a nice dose of humility.

But no. I needed this job. My mother's hospital bills weren't going to pay themselves, and jobs that paid this well didn't exactly grow on trees. So I would make his coffee, and I would smile, and I would swallow my pride for the thousandth time.

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath.

Please, God, grant me the patience not to strangle my boss. Or at least the self-control to resist the urge.

Coffee in hand, I returned to his office and knocked softly before entering.

"Come in."

He was leaning back in his chair now, the file open on his desk, one hand rubbing his temple as he studied something that clearly displeased him. The movement drew my attention to the way his shirt stretched across his shoulders, the rolled-up sleeves revealing those distracting forearms again.

I set the coffee on his desk, carefully avoiding the papers spread across the surface.

He didn't acknowledge me. Didn't even glance up.

I stood there for a moment, uncertain, watching him work. There was something almost mesmerizing about his focus, the way his green eyes tracked across the page, the slight compression of his lips when he found an error, the unconscious flex of his jaw.

He was infuriating and arrogant and cold, but he was also... beautiful. In a sharp, dangerous sort of way. Like a blade catching the light.

Stop staring, you idiot.

"Will that be all, sir?" I asked, proud of how steady my voice sounded.

"Mmm." He waved a hand dismissively, already reaching for the coffee cup without looking.

I turned to leave, grateful to escape before I did something stupid like continue admiring my tormentor's jawline.

"Damn it!"

The exclamation and the clatter of a mug hitting the desk made me spin around. Caleb had jerked his hand back, coffee dripping from his fingers onto the papers below. His face was tight with pain.

Training and instinct kicked in before thought. I rushed back to his desk, my heart hammering.

"Let me see." I reached for his hand, but he pulled back.

"I'm fine. It's nothing."

"It's not nothing. Let me see your hand." When he hesitated, I added more firmly, "Mr. Theller. Now."

Something in my tone must have surprised him because he extended his hand. The skin across his knuckles was already turning red, and a small blister was forming near his thumb.

"Anabelle?" I grabbed his desk phone, punching the button for reception. "I need a first-aid kit in Mr. Theller's office immediately."

"Ms. Carter, this is unnecessar-"

"What's unnecessary is you arguing with me when you've just burned yourself." I tugged him toward the attached bathroom, the same one where I'd interrupted him yesterday. "Come on."

To my surprise, he followed without further protest. In the bathroom, I turned on the cold tap and pulled his hand under the stream of water.

"Hold it there," I instructed, positioning his hand properly. "Cold water for at least ten minutes helps with burns."

"I know how to treat a burn, Ms. Carter."

"Then why weren't you doing it?" I shot back, meeting his eyes for the first time since the accident.

We were standing close in the small bathroom, closer than we'd ever been when he wasn't catching me from fainting. I could smell his cologne, something expensive and woody that made my traitorous brain want to lean closer.

His green eyes held mine, and for a moment, something unreadable flickered in their depths. Then his lips quirked in what might have been the ghost of a smile.

"Because apparently I have a nursemaid for a secretary."

"You're welcome," I said dryly.

A knock sounded, and I called out, "Come in!"

Anabelle appeared in the bathroom doorway, slightly breathless, holding a white first-aid kit. "Here you go. Is everything okay?"

"Just a minor burn. Thank you, Anabelle."

She left, and I turned back to find Caleb watching me with an intensity that made my stomach flip.

"You can stop staring at me, Mr. Theller. I know I'm not one of your usual lunch companions, but I do know basic first aid."

"I wasn't-" He stopped, jaw tightening. "Never mind."

I pulled his hand from the water and examined it carefully. The redness had faded slightly, but the blister remained. Opening the first-aid kit, I found antibiotic ointment and gauze.

"This might sting a bit," I warned, gently applying the ointment.

He didn't flinch, but I felt his hand tense in mine. His skin was warm despite the cold water, and his hands were larger than I'd realized, making mine look small in comparison. There was something oddly intimate about tending to him like this, our heads bent close together, my fingers careful against his skin.

"You didn't have to do this," he said quietly.

"Yes, I did. It's called basic human decency." I wrapped the gauze carefully around his hand, securing it with medical tape. "Something you might want to look into."

I expected anger, but when I glanced up, his expression was... different. Softer somehow, more open. He was staring at me with something that looked almost like wonder.

"There." I smiled without thinking, pleased with my handiwork. "Try not to get it wet for the next few hours, and change the bandage tonight before bed."

He didn't respond. Just kept staring at me with those impossibly green eyes, his lips slightly parted as if he wanted to say something but couldn't find the words.

The moment stretched between us, charged with something I didn't want to name. Something dangerous.

I stepped back quickly, breaking the spell. "I should... I'll clean up the coffee."

"Ms. Carter-"

"It's fine. Really. Just... be more careful next time, sir."

I fled the bathroom before he could say whatever had put that strange expression on his face. My hands were shaking as I mopped up the spilled coffee from his desk, carefully blotting the papers that had gotten wet. Thankfully, most of the Henderson file had escaped damage.

"Thank you."

His voice came from behind me, quiet and sincere in a way I'd never heard before. It made my chest tighten inexplicably.

"You're welcome, Mr. Theller."

I finished cleaning, disposed of the paper towels, and practically ran back to my own office. Once safely behind my desk, I dropped my head into my hands and tried to steady my breathing.

What was wrong with me?

One moment of tenderness and I was acting like a teenager with a crush. He was still the same arrogant, cold man who'd made me run down thirty-eight flights of stairs and denied me lunch. One small injury didn't change that.

But the memory of his eyes on mine, soft and surprised, refused to leave my mind.

"Exhausting," I muttered to myself. "He is absolutely exhausting."

~

By lunchtime, I was desperate for normalcy. When my phone buzzed with a text from Jade, I nearly wept with relief.

Cafeteria. Now. We're planning Saturday night and you're coming.

I grabbed my bag and headed downstairs, grateful for the escape. The corporate cafeteria was bustling with the lunch rush, but I spotted my group immediately they'd claimed our usual table near the windows.

"Selena!" Chloe waved enthusiastically, her blonde ponytail bouncing. "Finally! We've been waiting forever."

"It's been five minutes, Chloe," Margaret said dryly, not looking up from her salad.

I slid into the seat next to Jade, who immediately linked her arm through mine. "So, Saturday. Girls' night out. Dancing, drinks, bad decisions the essentials."

"I'm in," Nicholas said, pushing his glasses up his nose. "Though I draw the line at bad decisions. Some of us have reputations to maintain."

"Nicholas, you're an accountant. What reputation?" Mike grinned, stealing a fry from Nicholas's plate.

"Exactly. I'm boring and proud of it."

"You guys are ridiculous," I said, feeling the tension from the morning finally start to ease. This was normal. This was safe.

"Says the woman who works for the ice king himself," Jade teased. "How's that going, by the way? Has he fired you yet?"

"Give it time," I muttered, unwrapping my sandwich.

"Oh, come on. It can't be that bad."

"Yesterday he made me organize files all morning, then forced me to run down thirty-eight flights of stairs, then took me to a business lunch where he told the waiter I was too sick to eat despite the fact I was starving."

The table went silent. Even Margaret looked up from her salad.

"He what?" Jade's voice was dangerous.

"It's fine. I'm handling it."

"That's not fine, Selena. That's harassment."

"It's complicated." I took a bite of my sandwich, not wanting to explain. How could I tell them about the confusing push and pull between Caleb and me? The cruelty followed by unexpected moments of concern? The way he'd looked at me this morning like I was something precious?

"Well, well. What do we have here?"

I looked up to find Jack Winston standing at the end of our table, his signature smirk firmly in place. Jack worked in HR, which apparently gave him the impression that every woman in the building found him irresistible.

"We have people trying to eat lunch in peace," Margaret said pointedly.

"Don't be like that, Mags." He pulled up a chair, wedging himself between Chloe and me. "So, Saturday night plans? I'm definitely in."

"Nobody invited you, Jack," Jade said sweetly.

"I'm inviting myself. What are friends for?"

His knee pressed against mine under the table. I shifted away, annoyed.

"Fine," Chloe said with a sigh. "But you're buying the first round."

"Deal." Jack's eyes slid to me, and his smile widened. "Selena, I haven't seen you at any company events yet. Saturday will be your official welcome to the team."

"Lucky me," I said, taking a long sip of my orange juice.

The conversation flowed around me debates about which club to go to, what time to meet, who was designated driver. I participated enough to seem engaged, but my mind kept drifting back to the thirty-eighth floor. To green eyes and bandaged hands and a smile that had made my heart stutter.

Stop it!

He's your boss.

He's cruel and manipulative and probably incapable of genuine emotion. The fact that he looks like he was carved by Michelangelo is completely irrelevant.

But as I finished my sandwich and laughed at Nicholas's terrible joke about tax season, I couldn't shake the feeling that everything had shifted this morning. That something had changed between Caleb Theller and me, something that couldn't be unchanged.

And I had absolutely no idea what I was supposed to do about it.

"Earth to Selena?" Jade waved a hand in front of my face. "You're doing it again. The staring-into-space thing."

"Sorry. Just tired."

"Well, rest up. Saturday's going to be epic." She squeezed my hand. "You deserve to have some fun after dealing with Mr. Tall, Dark, and Terrible."

I smiled and nodded, but my mind was already back upstairs, wondering if Caleb's hand still hurt, if he'd changed the bandage like I'd told him to, if he was thinking about this morning the way I couldn't stop thinking about it.

And wondering why, despite everything, part of me wanted to march back up to his office just to check on him.

I was in so much trouble.